Hi guys,
A Firefox user for many, many years, I switched over to Brave probably around 2 - 3 years ago.
I like many features of the browser. But there is one huge glaring problem…the search engine. Not to put too fine a point on it, but it’s lame, as in it does not return relevant results for many of my searches. Instead, its search engine behavior is similar to the other mainstream browsers, like too similar. I’m talking about Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Bing, etc. I have experimented with many other browsers’ search function as well, all in an effort to find one that actually goes out and gets relevant information on the thing I’m searching for. Brave essentially does the same thing all these other browsers do with search, which is to, most of the time, return irrelevant search results, having little or even nothing to do with the topic I entered into the search field. For that reason, I have all but abandoned Brave search in favor or Yandex. This should not be. Brave has an awesome feature set, looks great, and is intuitive. But until the devs fix the search function, so it actually does the thing I want it to do: y’know, go out and retrieve the thing(s) I’m searching for, I will refrain from using it. And if this trend toward sub par search results continues, it’s a safe bet that I’ll be switching to Yandex (or another equally sufficient search engine) not just for my search engine needs, but for all my browser needs in the future.
Brave is cutting edge in everything else. But at the end of the day what I really want is a search engine that doesn’t filter my searches, returning a bunch of generic drivel having little or nothing to do with what I searched for. Brave devs please fix this.
You don’t have to use Brave Search, you can use Google or Bing if you want.
If you want to help to make it better you can turn Web Discovery Project on, and then with your history and searches even in other Search Engine, you will help indexing and fixing Brave Search, complaining is not the way you will fix it. brave://settings/search
You don’t need to marry to a Search Engine, if you find the information easier in another one, you have to do it, with WDP, you will still help Brave Search, without using Brave Search, so the more WDP users the better. The Search will not get better by itself. WDP only works in normal windows, that’s all you need to do when you use Brave.
Brave is currently only two years old, just look at other Search Engines with their unique indexer, for example Gigablast; Brave actually makes a better job, but since they removed Bing API from Brave, seems like some searches are not as good as before in many cases, but in some cases they are better than Bing, even with all their years and users using it (including DuckDuckGo, Qwant, Ecosia, Swisscows and others that use Bing API)
Yandex is the only good non-Google or Bing alternative, it is a known fact, they don’t censor as much as others do, and Brave always have based their searches in either Google with the mix results or Bing API which they stopped paying weeks ago, but getting rid of Bing was a good decision for the future, but sometimes going the ‘private alternatives’ has a price, which has been shown in so many ways like the translation service, the Brave Chat AI and Brave Search.
Emi,
Thank you for your very detailed response. I super appreciate it. I really do.
But you are wrong…in one point. My complaint did indeed yield a helpful result. Legitimate constructive criticism does help. And your response to my criticism is the proof, as you put a spotlight on my ignorance of the situation.
It should be obvious that if you’re a part of a community, there are going to be criticisms. Some will be legitimate. Some won’t. But it’s the legitimate ones that help us improve what we do. I’ll point out that not everything I said in my post was critical. If we we are doing something well, then we should be lauded for it. But if something needs to be fixed, it should be addressed. As the Brave community guidelines state: “Constructive criticism is welcome, but criticize ideas, not people.”
To that end, I again thank you for your helpful response. I will, indeed, employ the Brave Web Discovery Project in my Brave browser, as I would like to be a part of the solution to this problem, not just someone who bitches about everything lol.
Your post seems more your opinion than a ‘complaint’ to me.
However, if you’re going to say that you’re not getting the search results you expected - it would have helped me to better understand where you’re coming from - had you included at least one EXAMPLE! Dig me?
I totally agree. Until the last time I’ve installed Brave i was Ok but now started using it again in PC and, for one thing or other I forget because I use chrome In parallel, and each time i search from the address bar and the results come i think for some seconds what the F&&&k is going on with google, but NO, 100% of the searches I’ve made give me TOTALLY IRRELEVANT results as the shop doesnt show, the website with the same name than the domain neither, the AI gives you ridicoulos explanaitions of something you didn’t ask. I enter here to say I WILL UNINSTAL this browser because I cant trust the criteria of a group of people that stays doing a useless project like a search (are you thinking in a top of mind with google?) engine, TOTALLY USELESS i repeat, annoying, not offering a soliution to change it unless you go to the settings, and I inssist i saw it and I gave my opportunity to it but IT DOESNT WORK. If you are smart enough to make a browser in I can trust, youw won’t be so dumb to stay defending something that throws you away from you;re real market that is the browser. It doesnt have common sense so I wont take the risk of using this browser,and Wanderinpilgrim and anon are you fuckn blind? The person here is telling you whats going on and you point it with the fingers asking for examples? Use that search engine or look for the examples, take the opinion or not. I enterd here to see if could find some interesting disussion to the matter but I decided to uninstall when I saw the comments of this 2 blind guys. See you in hell ANNOYING search
I completely agree, except for number 5. From using brave search, it gives way better results than bing and even google in some cases. Brave search is already excellent, and I think a worthy alternative to bing and google.
I just stumbled across this forum post by Googling around seeing what opinion people had about Brave’s seach function… and of course i have to stumble across the likes of you, immediately lowering my mood considerably.
You’re likely middle-aged or older. You’re probably North American, but write you English poorer than my 12 year old norwegan nephew. You’ve copied Trump’s writing style and you seem just as illiterate. For some reason you seek out community forums, not just to share your opinion, which you easily could have done in a quarter of the words, but you come here to spew toxicity and hate. Absolutely no one who reads your comment will wish that they have and less than half will be able to read it and understand it. For some reason this foum doesn’t seem to have a report button, so if you happen to read my reply:
Please don’t post on public forums until you taken a look at yourself and your behaviour in a major way and CHANGE it. This isn’t , nowhere is quite frankly, a place for you to act like you are sombody important and worth listening to. Unless you start acting your age and behave like somebody who doesn’t represent a big part of what is wrong with the world, please stop making your presence and existence known wherever you happen to end up. Nobody wishes you were here, so please, don’t be. Go to a Trump rally or something and interact with people like-minded instead.
You don’t have to stick to Brave Search, you can use Google or Bing if you prefer.
If you want to help improve Brave Search, enable the Web Discovery Project (WDP). With it on, your browsing and search history (even from other search engines) will contribute to enhancing Brave Search. Just complaining won’t improve it, participating will. You can enable it at: brave://settings/search.
You’re not tied to any one search engine. If another engine gives you better results, use it. WDP still supports Brave Search in the background as long as you’re using normal (non-private) windows. That’s all it takes.
Keep in mind, Brave Search is only two years old. Compared to older engines like Gigablast with its own indexer, Brave is doing a solid job. After removing Bing API access, some results may feel lacking, but in other areas, they can be even better. Many other engines like DuckDuckGo, Qwant, and Ecosia rely on Bing’s API, Brave is now independent.
Yandex remains a strong non-Google/Bing option and is known for less censorship. Brave used to blend results from Google or Bing, but recently chose to stop paying for Bing, which was a strategic long-term move. Still, using private alternatives can sometimes mean making trade-offs, as seen with Brave’s translation service, AI chat, and search capabilities.
Totally agree, Brave Search feels too filtered and generic. It often misses the mark on niche or technical queries. Love the browser, but had to switch to Kagi/Yandex for better results. Hope the devs take this seriously.